Records of Convocation X: Canterbury, 1708-1713

The convocation records of the Churches of England and Ireland are the principal source of our information about the administration of those churches from middle ages until modern times. They contain the minutes of clergy synods, the legislation passed by them, tax assessments imposed by the king on the clergy, and accounts of the great debates about religious reformation; they also include records of heresy trials in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, many of them connected with the spread of Lollardy. However, they have never before been edited or published in full, and their publication as a complete set of documents provides a valuable resource for scholarship. This volume contains the minutes of the convocations held at the end of Queen Anne's reign, which give a detailed account of the reforms proposed for the church during that time. Of particular interest is the 'Representation of the state of religion', a position paper drawn up at the government's request and presented to the assembled divines by Samuel Wesley, the rector of Epworth and father of John and Charles.